>>>Happy Thursday! Above you’ll find a small fraction of the things I’m thankful for today – what are YOU appreciating today? I’m reading a book now called Thanks! by Robert A. Emmons and already on chapter two know that this book is pretty life-changing. It’s already reminded me just how vital it is to count each and every blessing. In the next few Thursday Thankful List posts, I’ll be sharing what I’m learning about thankfulness and gratitude from the book. Here’s what I learned this week [taken from pages 4-5 of the book]- it’s important to think of gratitude in two stages.

Gratitude is the acknowledgement of goodness in one’s life. In gratitude, we say YES to life. We affirm that all things taken together, life is good and has elements that make it worth living

Gratitude is recognizing that the source(s) of this goodness lie at least partially outside of the self. Gratitude is OTHER-directed. We can be grateful to God, other people. animals, but not oneself.

Gratitude is different than all other emotions. You can be angry at yourself, pleased with yourself, proud of yourself or feel guilty for doing something. It’s bizarre to say you are grateful to yourself. Right? Thankfulness and gratitude is not just a feeling, but a LIFESTYLE. It also implies a level of humility, in that you could not be who you are or where you are at in life without the contribution of others.

So here’s to yet another thankful, grateful and positive Thursday queens! xoxo

This week I’m reminded of a favorite verse, Proverbs 3:3 – “Don’t lose your grip on love and loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.” My goal moving forward not just this week, but in life overall is to live my life with love worn around my neck. Love adorned like a necklace. Not only will I be wearing love on my body, but I want it to be embedded in my heart to become part of my character. Learning to love life, myself and other people really well is way easier said than done. I wanted to share images/quotes above that reflect love and remind you to always, always, always wear love. xo

You see, when we’re born we see the world in an uncomplicated way. We know what we need, and we ask for it. We like nice people, and we don’t like mean people. We sleep when we’re tired, we eat when we’re hungry, and we stop eating when we’re full.

As we grow older, we eat and drink to console ourselves, rather than addressing what’s bothering us. We overwork to avoid close relationships, rather than finding people we can trust to form strong bonds with. We hold grudges, play games, spend more than we make, want things we don’t need, and we get too far away from our basic human needs.In other words, we complicate things. Here are 100 ways to uncomplicate it…

Enjoy! Happy Tuesday! xo

1. Don’t try to read other people’s minds

2. Get up 30 minutes earlier so that you don’t rush/get a ticket while driving too fast/have to explain why you’re late/get fired

3. Get 8 hours of sleep per night so that you think more clearly

4. Stick to your budget

5. Start saving and investing every week, no matter how little you can spare

“What if you approached every situation in life as if the answer is already yes?”

Good morning! Hope you’re having a fantastic day – I am! A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to Skype with Gail Lynne Goodwin, the founder of Inspire Me Today. I initially approached my communication with Gail via email and wanted to ask her a few questions for a blog post about her work and what inspires, motivates and encourages her. Gail went above and beyond and offered to Skype with me on a Saturday morning. Our “interview” was the absolute opposite – but turned into a friend-to-friend chat.

The one huge lesson I learned from Gail was simply embracing YES. I told her that one of my goals for the future is to become a certified life coach but expressed that I was too young to do it now. She was confused and perplexed at my statement – and took me off guard when she said, “Wait…why not?” We then had an absolutely lovely conversation about how WE are often the ones who block ourselves from OUR future. We are often the ones who are blocking ourselves from our own dreams.

This advice doesn’t just apply to my dream of being a life coach or to me in general – it’s for all of us. It’s so easy to be scared to pursue life to the fullest because we are scared people will judge us, look down on us or simply “say no” to what we are doing. By shifting your mindset – by approaching life as if the answer was ALREADY yes – you certainly are giving yourself more opportunities and way more joy.

I’ve previously shared my love for the Brave Girls Club with you, but found it ironic that this post (below) was their daily email today. Queens, for the next 24 hours, say yes to whatever comes your way – “say yes to crazy things that have shown up that you weren’t expecting. Say yes to the opportunity to love unconditionally even though it’s difficult.Say yes to the opportunity to forgive another, even if it seems impossible. Say yes to the things that are creating resistance. Enjoy your Monday! xoxo

Friday, Friday, Friday!!! Needless to say, I’m excited for the weekend. While my last Friday Five post was all about San Francisco, this week’s post is all about my friends – and the feeling of friendship overall. Both near and far – isn’t it truly a blessing to have fantastic friends? I wanted to share with you a little more to inspire you this weekend. Enjoy and again, happy Friday! xo

1. My friends who blog! I’m lucky enough to have some fantastic, talented and hilarious friends/coworkers who have great blogs! Check them out ASAP – and send any more of your favorite blogs my way!

2. Marky’s music - Balloon Messenger. Marky is one of the most talented people I know and has been friend of mine since junior high. Although we haven’t lived in the same city/state for many years, nothing has changed. He’s someone who I could go a few months without talking to, but the second we get together and sit down for coffee, we’re right back where we left off. Don’t you love that? Listen to his music on Soundcloud. I’ve been playing on repeat all week! Balloon Messenger also has a Facebook and Myspace pages.

3. SF visitors! Some of my absolute favorite people are visiting in the month of August – and a few are moving here! I could NOT be happier! In order of appearance (and visit/move-in date!): My sister Katie, Agnes, Jordan, Aimee, Courtney, Ali. Helllllo reunions, you are the best!

4. Quotes:

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival.” – C. S. Lewis

Friendship doubles your joy and divides your sorrow.

“That’s what friendship looks like to me. Friendship is acting out God’s love for people in tangible ways. We were made to represent the love of God in each other’s lives, so that each person we walk through life with has a more profound sense of God’s love for them. Friendship is an opportunity to act on God’s behalf in the lives of the other people we are close to, reminding each other who God is. When we do the hard, intimate word of friendship, we bring a little more of the divine into daily life. We get to remind one another about the bigger, more beautiful picture that we can’t always see from where we are.” - Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist

5. An inspiring friend’s story. Please keep Jenna in your prayers as she is battling myelodysplastic syndrome. I met Jenna one year ago as she was coordinating my internship during the school year from DC. Despite the journey she has been on in the past year, she still maintains a sense of peace and joy – what a true inspiration. Stay up-to-date with her on her blog The Redhead Report and if you haven’t registered to be a bone marrow donor, please do so! Thank you for your prayers!